May 22, 2008	Thursday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 16, 1429

LAHORE, May 21: Pakistan star batsman Mohammad Yousuf has once again expressed his disappointment at missing out on an opportunity to play in the Indian Premier League (IPL), while urging the Pakistan Cricket Board to resolve the situation as quickly as possible.

Yousuf signed up for the rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL) last year before he was urged to renege on that contract by the PCB, with the carrot of the IPL acting as one of the incentives.

But the ICL insisted that as Yousuf had signed a contract he should not be allowed to play in any other league including the IPL.

The matter went to a court of arbitration in Mumbai, which passed an interim order barring Yousuf from playing in the IPL.

On the eve of his departure to England to play for Lancashire, Yousuf reminded PCB chief Dr Nasim Ashraf of his promise to resolve the matter.

“It’s very sad missing out on the IPL. I left the ICL on the insistence of the chairman and I did that for the country,” Yousuf told BBC Urdu. “I ended up playing for neither. This matter should be resolved because the chairman promised me he would do it and it should be done quickly.” How quickly it can happen is open to question.

The PCB wants to file an appeal against the interim order in the Mumbai High Court but has yet to do so.

“We have appointed a Mumbai advocate, Iqbal Chagla, to represent us in this case in the Mumbai High Court,” Taffazul Rizvi, PCB’s lawyer, said.—Agencies